budget

Critics denounce patronage

The millions of dollars in additional credits approved yesterday by the Órgano Ejecutivo for institutions such as the Fondo de Inversión Social and the Asamblea Nacional was a political move, say leaders of the opposition. The government, however, contends that the approval was a normal part of the process of governing.

On Wednesday the Consejo de Gabinete approved a total of $32 million in credits, of which $12.9 million is destined for the Fondo de Inversión Social (FIS) and another $4.5 million for the Asamblea to hire temporary help.

Ricardo Martinelli, president of the Cambio Democrático party and a presidential aspirant, asserted that the funds granted to the FIS and the Asamblea are intended to shore up candidates from the ruling Partido Revolucionario Democrático (PRD), which begins a massive voter registration campaign on April 27. "These are disguised circuit items so that the legislators can proselytize," he said, meaning they are political propaganda for PRD candidates in particular voting districts.

Sergio González Ruiz, president of the Movimiento Liberal Republicano Nacionalista, said that the message is very clear: "The credits are for political purposes."

The candidate aspiring to be the presidential candidate for the Pañamenista party, Alberto Vallarino, meanwhile said that the government has mistaken its priorities. Those resources, Vallarino commented, would better serve for health and transportation.

The president of the Asamblea's budget committee, however, asserted that the money will be used to level the salaries of some staff that earn between $200 and $300 a month, among other things.